Discrimination & civil rights

ICE made illegal warrantless arrests around Chicago and unilaterally declared the court settlement banning them void, federal courts found.

Confidence: Confirmed · 1 sourceUnited States · Oct 6, 2026

Subject of this story

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Chicago Field Office)

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

Also named

Oversight

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit

What happened

Under a 2022 consent decree in Castañon-Nava v. DHS, ICE's Chicago field office agreed to stop warrantless immigration arrests unless officers had reason to believe the person was likely to escape before a warrant could be obtained. While motions to enforce and extend the decree were pending, a senior DHS official emailed on June 11, 2025 declaring ICE's obligations terminated and rescinding the required policy statement. On October 7, 2025, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Cummings found 22 of 26 challenged arrests violated the decree and extended it by 118 days for substantial noncompliance; the parties later agreed 46 arrests violated it, and on November 13, 2025 the court ordered 13 class members released. On May 5, 2026 the Seventh Circuit affirmed the extension and the release of people found to have been arrested unlawfully, but reversed the order releasing about 200 'potential' class members and people held on I-200 warrants.

Sources (1)

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (Castañon-Nava v. DHS, No. 25-3050)'On October 7, 2025, the district court granted the enforcement motion in part, finding that 22 of the 26 individuals identified in the motion were arrested in violation of the Consent Decree.' A senior DHS official's June 11, 2025 email: 'it remains terminated.' Decided May 5, 2026.

Response

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Chicago Field Office)

Statement given

Contacted and responded — exact wording not on record.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

Statement given

Contacted and responded — exact wording not on record.

What happened next (1)

Feb 28, 2026 · Progress

Reported 28 February 2026: U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Cummings reviewed 53 immigration arrests under the Castanon Nava consent decree and ordered 32 people released by noon on 5 March, later adding four more. Source ↗

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